DEFENSE SITES 2025 - CURRENT
DEFENSE SITES IS AN INVESTIGATIVE COLLABORATION BETWEEN JENIFFER LOPEZ, EDWIN ALVAREZ LOZA, AND JAMES M. DAILEY. THE PROJECT EXAMINES THE HISTORIES OF VIOLENT INFRASTRUCTURE EMBEDDED WITHIN FORMER PRECISION BOMBING SITES IN THE MOJAVE DESERT SURROUNDING THE VICTORVILLE ARMY AIRFIELD, LATER KNOWN AS GEORGE AIR FORCE BASE, AND NOW THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LOGISTICS AIRPORT. IT FOCUSES ON HOW SUSTAINED NEGLECT BY MUNICIPAL AND GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES HAS ALLOWED THESE LANDS TO REMAIN CONTAMINATED EVEN AS THEY CONTINUE TO BE REDEVELOPED FOR WAREHOUSE LOGISTICS AND RESIDENTIAL LIVING.
SINCE THE INITIAL CONTAMINATION, THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE’S FORMERLY USED DEFENSE SITES (FUDS) PROGRAM HAS CONDUCTED MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIONS. SOME REPORTS CONCLUDE THAT THE SITES HAVE BEEN REMEDIATED AND CLEARED FOR DEVELOPMENT, WHILE LOCAL RECOGNISANCE BY COMMUNITY MEMBERS INDICATES THAT CONTAMINATION PERSISTS.
THE PROJECT OPERATES ACROSS MULTIPLE MODES OF EXAMINATIONS TO IDENTIFY THE PRESENCE OF CONTAMINATION, INCLUDING THE APPROPRIATION OF GOVERNMENTAL FORENSIC PROCEDURES, SITE-SPECIFIC PHOTOGRAPHIC AND WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION, PERFORMANCE, AND ARCHIVAL RESEARCH. EACH SITE INVESTIGATION FOLLOWS A STRICT PROTOCOL APPROPRIATING THE CONTEMPORARY BOMBING INVESTIGATIONS: CORDONING OFF THE AREA, ESTABLISHING A CHAIN OF COMMAND, DOCUMENTING THE SITE THROUGH TEXT AND IMAGE, RECOVERING BOMB-RELATED MATERIALS FORMALLY SIMILAR TO ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION, WHILE PRODUCING FORMAL FORENSIC REPORTS. THESE PROCESSES ARE ACCOMPANIED BY SITE-SPECIFIC REENACTMENTS STAGED IN GALLERIES OR WAREHOUSE SPACES TO FURTHER IMPLICIT THE ORIGINS AND IMPACTS OF HOW THE BOMBINGS CONTINUE TO CONTAMINATE THE MOJAVE DESERT TODAY.
TO READ THE RESEARCH REPORT, FOLLOW THIS LINK.